Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

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Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756–91) Austrian composer. A child prodigy on the piano, Mozart was taken by his father, Leopold, on performing tours in Europe (1762–65), during which he composed his first symphonies. In the 1770s, he worked at the Prince Archbishop's court in Salzburg. Masses, symphonies, and his first major piano concerto date from this time. Opera was his primary concern, and in 1780 he composed Idomeneo, which is impressive for its rich orchestral writing and depth of expression. In the 1780s, he moved to Vienna, where he became court composer to the Austrian Emperor in 1787. In this decade, he composed and performed his greatest piano concertos, the last eight of his 41 symphonies and the brilliant comic operas Le Nozze di Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787) and Così fan tutti (1790). In the last year of his life, Mozart wrote the operas Die Zauberflöte and La Clemenza di Tito, the clarinet concerto, and the Requiem (completed by a pupil). In all, he composed more than 600 works, perfecting the classical style and foreshadowing Romanticism.

http://www.mozartproject.org; http://www.classical.net